Joker's sacrifice: Cuinn's past
by silkdreamweaver
Summary: Prequel to Joker's sacrifice (Read first). A collection of short stories that lead up to when Cuinn's mother is imprisoned and he and his twin sister Amari leave the circus.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This story is based off my other story Joker's Sacrifice. If you have not read it, I **_**highly**_** recommend that you read it first before reading this. This will be a collection of short stories that will lead to Cuinn and Amari leaving the Circus. Most will not follow any sort of order. **

**For those who have read JS here are ideas for other stories I'm planning on doing. I want to get your opinion on which one you would like to see me do next. These are the current ones I have:**

**1. Cuinn and Amari get caught in the middle of a prison break.**

**2. Cuinn learns some tricks from the circus illusionist (a grandfather type figure will play a major role).**

**3. How the prisoners ended up having to wear stuff animal masks.**

**4. Amari, Cuinn, and Cynthia (A jester girl who will play a role in here and JS.) end up posing for a picture after an embarrassing chain of events for Cuinn and Cynthia.**

**5. A family picnic at the blue rose garden. **

**6. Cuinn and Amari face their fears.**

**7. For those that read ch9 of JS: The bet Cuinn lost causing him to lick a tiger.**

**Post which story you want next in your review.**

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**Caucus Race**

"Cuinn. Cuinn. Cuinn!"

Cuinn set down the book he was engrossed in and looked up into the angry, yet identical face of his sister standing over him.

"Is there something you want, sis?" he asked from his spot on the floor.

In response Amari glared at Cuinn before tackling him onto his back. Amari straddled his stomach with her arms crossed and cheeks puffed out while glaring down at him.

"What was that for?" Cuinn asked while rubbing the back of his head. Cuinn was lying on top of the pile books he was leaning against, before Amari tackled him. The corners of the books were digging into his back making him squirm in discomfort.

"You didn't hear a single word I said to you, did you?" Amari asked after a long drawn out silence.

"Said about what?" Cuinn asked confused. Amari groaned in frustration while pulling on her short, blond hair.

"The Caucus Race. I've been explaining my plan for it, for the last five minutes, but you have been to busy reading that book to pay any attention." Amari got off Cuinn and made for the door. "Since you don't care for the race, I'll do everything myself." Amari slammed the door behind her leaving behind a dumbfounded Cuinn. After a moment of sitting in silence, Cuinn realized what was going on.

"Wait. There's going to be a Caucus race today?!"

**~X~**

Cuinn found Amari surrounded by a dozen circus children, while she explained her plan for the Caucus race.

"Because we don't have the key that means that certain hallways are closed off, so we'll have to avoid them."

"Not anymore," Cuinn cried triumphantly, startling everyone.

Amari looked at Cuinn surprised. "I thought you weren't coming."

"I never said that. You thought I wasn't going to show and…what are you wearing?" Cuinn asked doing a double-take.

"Oh, this? The twins gave it to me," Amari replied doing a twirl.

Amari was wearing a skin tight, yellow acrobat jumpsuit. When she mentioned the twins, Cuinn glanced at them and regretted doing so. The acrobat twins, Abby and Lilly, were wearing the same outfit, but in matching colors of a blue and green mix.

When Cuinn saw the outfits, he immediately turned away, bushing a deep shade of red. It was common knowledge around the circus that when it came to girls, with the exception of his mother and sister, Cuinn was extremely shy. It was a fact that many used against him.

"Are those the warden's keys?" a small, timid, voice asked.

The voice belonged to a small jester girl who is hiding behind one of the older jester boys. Compared to Cuinn and Amari, who are short, this girl is tiny. Her name is Cynthia, though some people call her Cindy. She also happens to be very shy around people.

"Yep," Cuinn replied happily as he twirled the key ring on his finger.

"Well done Cuinn!" exclaimed a jester named Bruno. He was the oldest in the group and a knife juggler. "Now that it seems that all problems are taken care of, shall we start this race, because I am ready to win."

"Shouldn't you be ready to lose?" Cuinn asked, teasing Bruno.

"I'm not worried about losing to a pip-squeak," Bruno replied smugly.

"I'm not a pip-squeak," Cuinn replied pouting.

"How old are you?"

"I'm six."

"Well, I'm twelve so that means you're a pip-squeak compared to me." Bruno smiled as Cuinn pouted unable to come up with a response.

"Are we going to race or not?" Amari asked, trying to get everything back on track.

"Of course. Does everyone remember the rules?" Cuinn asked. Everyone around him nodded. "One last thing, if any of you run into our parents, Good luck!"

"We'll make sure to give you a proper funeral," Bruno added mischievously, causing the others to gulp in fear.

"Ok then, are you ready, set, go!" Amari cried. In a flash, everyone scattered in different directions, leaving Cuinn standing alone. He laughed mischievously.

'_I never said that I unlocked all the doors,'_ he thought. Cuinn started walking at a leisurely down the hallway. A few minutes into his stroll, a series of shouts echoed down the hallway. He could even hear Amari's shout of outrage among them. Cuinn snickered before sprinting down the winding hallways, passing through dozens of cell blocks.

'_Can't let them catch up.' _As Cuinn raced down one particular hallway, he noticed something lying on the ground at the end of it. As he stopped to ponder what it was, a yellow blur flew passed him, laughing.

"Too slow Cuinn," Amari cried.

It was then that Cuinn realized that the object was a rope, but it was too late to warn Amari. The rope sprang up from the ground catching Amari's legs. She fell with a shriek. Cuinn ran by Amari laughing. As he passed by he noticed two jester children hiding in crevices in the walls holding the ends of the rope.

"Who's slow now?" Cuinn taunted as he rounded the corner. Suddenly, he struck something that felt like a wall. Cuinn bounced back and barely managed to recover his balance to keep himself from falling. He looked up to see that the wall he had run into was really the warden half of his dad.

"Cuinn, you mind telling me why there's a bunch of brats running around my prison?" Black asked menacingly, while holding his whip in front of him. His eyes lit up on the key chain clipped to Cuinn's belt. "And do you mind telling me how you got my key ring?"

"Well that's a funny story," Cuinn replied with his hands raised defensively as he back away slowly. Cuinn spun around and ran back the corridor he came from.

Standing in the middle of the corridor was Amari who was scolding the two jester boys.

"Run!" Cuinn cried gaining their attention. "It's the devil!"

Amari and the jesters looked at Cuinn confused until they saw Black come running down the hallway, roaring after Cuinn. Cuinn grabbed Amari as he ran by dragging her with him. As they ran, Cuinn heard a shout followed by something heavy hitting the ground. He stopped and turned around to see Black on the floor, spewing curses, as the two jester boys ran away down the hallway he came from. They caught Black with the same rope they used on Amari.

"Come on!" Amari shouted, grabbing Cuinn by the arm and pulling him along. She did not want to wait for Black to get on his feet. The two of them raced down the winding hallways where they eventually encountered Bruno who began running along side them.

"Still think you can win?" He taunted.

"Right now, I just don't want to be caught by the devil behind us," Cuinn replied. Bruno's face paled as he understood who Cuinn was referring to. Before long, all the children running in the race ended up running beside the three. The crowd of children turned sheet white when they heard the familiar stream of curses coming from behind them. The prisoners looked on in confusion as they saw a mass of children run by their cells followed by Black.

"Look!" cried Amari, pointing. "There's the finish line." The yellow tape marking the end of the race was at the very end of the hallway. Everyone put what energy they had left into their legs. Amari and Cuinn edged ahead of the others so that they were neck and neck. Just when they were about to cross the finish line, Cuinn noticed something slide out from behind the wall in front of their feet. It was too late to shout a warning. It tripped them and the others behind them causing them to fall into a giant heap. Cuinn and Amari were unfortunate enough to end up at the bottom. Both were groaning from the weight on their backs when they were startled by a scabbard hit the floor in front of them. They follow it up to the face of their mother, Alicia Spade. At normal times her bright crimson eyes, full of life, short chestnut color hair, that frames her face so well, and flawless porcelain skin would give her the appearance of an angel, but at times when she was angry, that same appearance made her look like a mad devil. And unfortunately for Cuinn and Amari, that was exactly what she was.

"What are you children doing running around here?" Though her voice was even and calm, the irritation and threat of punishment behind it were clear. Cuinn's eyes widen in fear as he noticed that she was not wearing her usual read dress, but instead her sparring outfit. It consists of a pair of bright red leather trousers, matching long sleeve undershirt with a near-black crimson vest on top. Her hands wear encased in leather gloves, with red spade designs on the back, rest on the hilt of her sheathed sword.

As everyone became aware of her outfit, they all understood that she had just came back from sword practice and was no doubt exhausted and when she was exhausted she was much more irritable. They all gulped knowing their fates were sealed. Amari and Cuinn heard Black as he finally caught up to them panting.

"Finally…caught up… to…you brats," he said between breathes.

"Don't think I didn't hear all your cursing, Black," Alicia stated. Black winced, knowing he was going to get it later. Returning her attention to the pile of children in front of her, "Have anything to say for yourselves?"

They replied simultaneously, "Have mercy."

~~X~~

Cuinn let out a sigh as he lay on bed. His sister was changing into her pajamas in the bathroom. He heard the bathroom door open as Amari came out wearing a matching yellow, footie pajama. They were even identical in the way they dressed, having matching pairs of every outfit. It was rare when the each wore something different. She crawled into bed next to him. Both were confined to their room for the next three days after receiving a harsh scolding. The others were escorted out of the prison to be dealt their punishment from White. The two boys were lucky that their mom was there or Black would have locked them both up in a cell for who knows how long.

"Ready to go to bed?" Amari asked with a tried sigh.

"Yeah," Cuinn replied yawning as he felt exhaustion creeping in on him. Amari yawned too, showing that she too was also feeling tried. Amari turned off the bedside lamp before curling close to Cuinn, facing him. Cuinn did likewise.

"Sweet dreams," Amari whispered.

"You too," Cuinn replied as he fell asleep. They fell asleep with their foreheads touching; hands clasped between them and their breathes intermingling, as they plunged into the world of pleasant dreams.

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**AN: Ahhh. Now that ending was very sweet. What do you think? Love it, hate it? Leave a review with your thoughts and what story you want to see next. By the way I chose Alicia's name for a reason. Can anyone guess what it is? Well I hope you enjoyed.**

**Cuinn: We'll see you again soon.**

**Amari: Please review. Bye.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Sorry Pure Rose but you were out voted by a few of my friends at school. Don't worry though I promise to do yours next. **

**This is how Cuinn got the scar mentioned in ch:10 of J.S.**

**The list of stories currently planned.**

**1. How Joker and his wife met. **

**2. Cuinn learns some tricks from the circus illusionist (a grandfather type figure, will play a major role in future stories).**

**3. How the prisoners ended up having to wear stuffed animal masks.**

**4. Amari, Cuinn, and Cynthia (A jester girl who will play a role here and in JS.) end up posing for a picture after an embarrassing chain of events for Cuinn and Cynthia.**

**5. A family picnic at the blue rose garden. **

**6. Cuinn and Amari face their fears.**

***Next* 7. For those that read ch9 of JS: The bet Cuinn lost causing him to lick a tiger.**

**Vote for the one you want done after number 7 in your review.**

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**Cuinn & Amari age: 7**

**Prison Pain**

Cuinn awoke to the sound of soft sobbing. He blinked his eyes repeatedly to adjust them to darkness. The only light entered the room through the seams of the door, casting everything in a dark blue tint. It took Cuinn a moment to realize that the sobbing was coming from next to him. He rolled onto his side so he was facing his twin sister. She was sobbing in her sleep. He could make out the glittering of tears on her face in the faint darkness.

"Amari?" Cuinn shook her shoulder trying to wake her. He was startled when she suddenly latched on to him, burying her face in his chest. Her tears soaking his shirt. "Amari, are you alright? What's wrong?"

Amari didn't reply. She continued to sob into his shirt. Suddenly she started to stroke the back of his head. This action confused Cuinn until he noticed how her fingers sought a faint ridge that lied on the back of his head. Everything suddenly clicked into place. Amari had a nightmare about the incident from two years ago.

"Amari," Cuinn said, stroking the back of her head. This time she pulled away and opened her eyes. Her glassily, golden orbs still managed to shine in the near darkness as they stared into Cuinn's own. They were filled with pain and sadness.

"I-It was my fault," Amari sobbed.

"It wasn't. You have to let that go. It was an accident."

"But it was," Amari cried, burying her head in Cuinn's shirt. "If I only listened to you, you would never have gotten hurt."

~~X~~

_Cuinn and Amari Age 5:_

_The alarm rang noisily throughout Joker prison. This did not seem to have any affect on Amari who was dashing down the hallways._

"_Come on! You're too slow," she shouted at Cuinn who was trying to keep up with her._

"_Amari!" Cuinn whined. "We shouldn't be out here. Mom and dad said so." _

"_Why not? It sounds like something fun is happening," Amari replied. She continued to run down the hallway with Cuinn trailing behind. He grabbed her hand dragging her to a stop._

"_Please Amari. I wanna go back to our room," Cuinn begged._

"_You can go. I'm going to stay and have fun," Amari stubbornly replied. She dashed off leaving Cuinn behind. In her haste as she passed through the cell blocks, she did not notice that some of the cell doors were wide open. _

_As she turned a corner, she collided with something that sent her flying backward onto the ground. She was suddenly picked up and shoved roughly against the wall that her feet were no longer touching the ground. Amari blinked to clear her blurred vision to find herself staring into the face of one of the prisoners. The blood in her veins chilled._

"_Well, if it isn't one of the Joker brats," he sneered, leaning his face close to Amari's. She could smell his foul breathe; it made her want to gag. She closed her eyes praying that he would go away._

"_**LEAVE HER ALONE!"**_

_Amari heard the prisoner cry out in pain before she was dropped on the ground. She opened her to see that Cuinn had jumped on the prisoner and bit down on his arm. The prisoner cried out in pain. Angry, he swung his arm at the concrete wall with Cuinn still hanging off it. The back of his head hit the wall with a sickening crack. Amari watched in horror as his eyes rolled back into head and he slumped against the wall. As he slide down it, he left a red smear behind._

_Amari cried out in horror. "__**CUINN!**__"_

_The sudden trample of foot steps could be heard coming down the hall. The prisoner, cursing his luck ran off in the opposite direction. A short cry soon followed._

_Amari crawled over to Cuinn, placing his head in her lap. She tried covering the wound with both her hands, but blood continued to seep through her fingers. It was so warm and sticky that it made Amari want to throw up. No matter how hard see pressed, she couldn't stop the bleeding. She was panicking as her eyes blurred with tears._

"_Amari!" _

_Amari felt hands on her shoulders, turning her around. She still managed to make out her mother's worried face through her tears._

"_It-It won't stop…the bleeding won't stop," Amari choked out._

"_My poor babies," Alicia said pulling Amari close. "How is he White? Will he be alright?"_

"_I think so, but we have to get him to the infirmary," he replied. Amari hadn't heard either of them arrive._

"_What about the prisoner who did this," Alicia asked, her voice dripping with venom._

"_Black caught him. We can deal with him later."_

"_Very well then." Alicia scooped Amari up and began carrying her away. Amari peeked over shoulder to see White scoop Cuinn into his arms and carry him away._

'_Please be alright.'_

_Amari was waiting in the hallway outside the infirmary room. No was sure why there was one in the prison, but it was the extremely rare moments like this that made everyone thankful that it was there. Black walked out of the room and crouched in front of her._

"_What the hell were you thinking," he scolded gently. "Didn't we tell you to stay in your room, that is wasn't safe to be running around the prison."_

_Amari just nodded while sniffling._

_Blacked sighed. "We considering punishing you, but we decided that your guilt was enough."_

"_Is he awake?" she asked timidly._

"_Yeah. You can see him now." Black led Amari into the infirmary. The infirmary consisted of only one bed. The sole occupant sat there with bandages wrapped around his head and his mother and the second half of his father sitting at opposite sides by the bed. As soon as Amari saw Cuinn, she dashed the small distance across the room and jumped onto the bed, wrapping her arms around him and crying into his shirt._

"_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Amari apologized, repeating the words constantly._

_Cuinn patted her head. "You cry too much," he teased._

_She looked at him with watery eyes. "I got you hurt."_

"_I was more worried that you would have gotten hurt."_

"_You care too little about yourself." _

"_Cause I care too much about you." Cuinn pulled Amari into a hug, stroking her head. "I promise that I'll never leave your side."_

_Amari gave Cuinn a squeeze. "Promise?"_

"_Promise."_

~~X~~

Cuinn pulled Amari away from him and stared into her eyes. "I promised that I'll never leave your side."

"Promise?" Amari asked, still sniffling.

Cuinn leaned in close and kissed her on the nose. "Promise. Go back to sleep. I'll still be here in the morning."

Amari snuggled close to Cuinn. "Don't let me go," she murmured.

Cuinn hugged her close as she drifted to sleep. Being siblings they had to take care of each other. There are times when Amari would take care of him and times like now were he would take care of Amari. It wasn't long before he drifted to sleep again.

'_I won't let anything ever separate us.'_

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**AN: Another short story done. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Cuinn & Amari: Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Sorry for the long absence. Finals, Graduation, and the celebrations that came after it, cut a lot into my writing time. Doesn't help that I had to rewrite the chapter of looking glass. Joker's Sacrifice is almost done, so expect that soon, (Hopefully before Anime Expo starts). Looking glass will take a lot of time cause I'm working on two chapters currently. Wait will be worth it, I assure you. For now I hope you all enjoy this long awaited chapter. **

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**The Bet**

Cuinn and Amari were bored so they were wandering around the circus looking for their friend Bruno . It was late afternoon so many of the performers were doing late minute practices before returning for the night.

They found Bruno near the center ring of the tent practicing with an acrobat. He was doing a hand stand on a giant, blue and red striped rubber ball. Standing on his feet in the air was an acrobat juggling knives, cups and plates.

"Hi Bruno," Amari cheerfully greeted.

"Hi guys," Bruno replied, unable to them from his position. He wiggled his feet as a signal to the acrobat above him. The acrobat jumped off Bruno's feet without breaking his juggling. Amari clapped as he left leaving the three alone.

"What brings you two here?" Bruno asked.

"Just bored," Amari replied, rocking on the balls of her feet.

"Do you want to play with us?" Cuinn asked.

"I would love too, but my arms are starting to ache from balancing for so long," Bruno replied.

"Come on, it doesn't look that difficult," commented Cuinn. "I can probably do it too."

"Is that a bet?" Bruno challenged. Cuinn rose to it.

"Ok then. A bet it is."

"Alright then. The rules are simple; you have to balance on the ball without falling off first." Bruno stretched and massaged his arms. "If I win you have to…" Bruno scanned the circus thinking of what his prize should be when his gaze landed on the tiger cages. "…taste something for me."

"Okay…" Cuinn raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "If I win then you have to…clean our room." Cuinn smiled mischievously as Bruno's face lost all color.

"That's no fair!" Bruno cried. "If that's going to be your reward then I should be allowed to change mine."

"No changing," Amari chirped. Bruno groaned. It wasn't that Cuinn and Amari's room was very messy, but the fact that they had so much stuff (manly stacks of books and piles of stuff animals) that it was impossible to tell if it was clean or a cluttered mess.

"Fine," Bruno sighed. "I'll go get a second ball."

When Bruno returned, he was flanked by a small group of circus children. Cuinn noticed Cynthia among them. He smiled and waved and she waved back.

"These guys want to watch," Bruno said jerking a thumb at the small group. "I hope you don't mind having a small group to watch you lose."

"I don't mind," Cuinn replied. "I just hope the _you_ are ready to lose."

If Bruno had been paying attention, he would have noticed the evil smirk on Amari's face. Amari was the only other person who knew that other than illusions and magic tricks, Cuinn had been learning acrobatics. It's something he also had a natural talent for. Bruno was about to learn that Cuinn would not be beaten so easily.

Bruno easily climbed onto the rubber ball and pulled himself into a handstand.

"I'll give you a few tries if you want," Bruno taunted. Cuinn took a few steps back before taking a running start. At the last second he cart wheeled onto the ball. He had no trouble finding his balance.

"Still think you can win?" Cuinn teased as Bruno's face managed to pale.

Both held their stances as the minutes trickled by. Bruno could feel his arms growing weaker by the second. He had severely underestimated Cuinn and if he didn't think of something soon he was going to lose. He twisted his head and looked at the small crowd watching them. His eyes settled on the twins. Abby and Lilly were watching with bored expressions when they noticed Bruno's pleading look.

They smirked evilly before making subtle hand gestures. Bruno understood their message. If they helped him then he would owe them. Bruno mulled it over in his head, but a new wave of exhaustion hit his arms making his decision for him. He nodded his head. The twins smiled and left their spots toward Cuinn.

Cuinn was having no trouble what so ever. He was staring at his hand s while letting his mind wander. Currently his thoughts were focused on what kind of tea he should make today before he goes to bed.

'_What flavor should I make? Maybe something sweet.' _His thoughts were interrupted by a pair of overlapping voices.

"Hi Cuinn."

Cuinn left up his head to find himself staring into the faces of the twins who were uncomfortably close to him. He felt even more blood rush to his face and his arms trembled. It was taking all his willpower to keep himself upright. The twins noticed this and so leaned closer and blew on his face. It was the last straw. Cuinn's hands slipped from under him and he fell head first on the ground. He stared at the ceiling in a daze as his face burned as red as a tomato.

Bruno let out a cry of joy and jumped of his ball. He stood over Cuinn with a smug smile on his face.

"Looks like you lose."

"That's not fair! They distracted me," Cuinn cried, pointing at the twins, trying his best not to look at them.

"Distractions happen all the time around the circus, you have to learn to ignore them. You didn't see me get distracted by the guy juggling on my feet. Now are you ready to be my taste tester?"

Cuinn cringed under Bruno's evil smile. "What do I have to taste?"

"Wait right here and wear this blindfold." Bruno tied the blindfold on Cuinn before he had a chance to protest.

"Why do you have a blind fold?" Cuinn asked.

"Had to practice juggling blindfolded," Bruno answered. Without another word from anyone, the group left Cuinn behind, standing blindfolded in the middle of the circus.

Cuinn stood alone for minutes, that felt like hours. During that time he constantly shifted his weight from one foot to another as his mind considered all the possible items that Bruno might bring. At the very least he hoped it wasn't something disgusting.

Finally he heard the sound of footsteps and muffled giggling, that signaled that the group was back.

"Are you ready to taste your prize?" Bruno asked. Cuinn gulped and nodded.

"Here it is."

Cuinn felt something brush his nose, starling him and causing him to take a step back.

"W-What is it?"

"Stick your tongue out and lick and find out."

Cuinn, hesitantly stuck out his tongue and leaned forward till he felt it touch something. He then gave it a long lick. It tasted slightly soapy and felt hairy. Cuinn immediately pulled away, his face contorted in disgust. Just as he opened his mouth to ask what he licked, he heard it growl. He ripped off the blind fold and found himself staring into the wide and confused eyes of a tiger cub. The hair on the back of its head was standing straight up, wet from his saliva.

Cuinn's face burned red when everyone around him burst into laughter. His embrassment grew further as they started teasing him.

"The look on your face is priceless!"

"Come on. I'm sure he didn't taste that bad. You helped bathe them this morning."

"Hey, at least now you're giving him a real "cat" bath!"

Cuinn was horrified when he saw that Amari was laughing at him too. She was doubled over with tears streaming from her eyes. Cuinn gave an annoyed pout before an evil idea popped into his mind. He snatched the tiger from a still laughing Bruno and brought it to Amari.

"Hey Amari, I got you something."

"W-What is it?" Amari lifted her head to find herself staring into the eyes of the tiger, not even an inch away. Not even a heartbeat past before Amari shrieked and ran as if someone had set fire to her heels.

Cuinn laughed as he watched his sister's retreating form. He was joined by Bruno, who clapped him on the back.

"Nice one. I find it hard to believe that you can live at a circus and still be afraid of tigers," He commented.

"Beats me." Cuinn shrugged, still smiling. He felt a sharp pain in is arm and jumped. "Ow!" He looked down to see Cynthia giving him an angry look. "What you did that for?"

"Cause that wasn't nice, exploiting Amari's fear like that just because she laughed at you too." Cynthia put her hands on her hips. "Can you call yourself a loving if you keep doing things like that?"

Cuinn rubbed his head and let out a frustrated sigh. "Come on. Lets find her before she causes an accident or something." As if on queue, they heard a loud crash. Cuinn winced. "I really hope that wasn't her." Cuinn ran off with Cynthia trailing behind.

Bruno watched the two run off with a smile on his face and shoulders still shaking. _'That was worth it,' _he thought. Someone cleared their throat behind him. He turned around to find the twins smiling smugly while tapping their feet expectantly.

"Fine what do I owe you? My share of this week's sweets?"

"No."

"Clean up duty."

Bruno just shrugged. "So I have to clean up the performer cart you use, that'll be easy."

"Nope. We got in trouble early for messing around," Lilly explained.

"So we got assigned grounds keeping." Abby smiled as she watched Bruno paled.

"That covers the whole circus," Bruno cried. "That'll take forever to clean. More so than the time I would have spent cleaning Cuinn's room."

"Yep. We'll go tell Ralph that you'll be filling in for us."

"Have fun." Both girls blew Bruno a kiss before leaving in a fit of giggles.

Bruno sighed, shaking his head in despair.

"I should have taken the loss."

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**AN: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.**

**Amari & Cuinn: We enjoyed it, sorta. **

**SDW: Votes are in and story #3 is next. We will now know how the prisoners came to wearing animal masks. Till then, enjoy summer. And Ax for anyone who's going as well.**


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